Lock clasp for jewels and similar articles



y Sept. 12, 1933. G. DEsoUcHEs LOCK CLASP FOR JEWELS AND SIMILARARTICLES Filed May 3, 1932 /NVELNTOFQ Grard Deso l0/Zed 5 f y A TT??? YPatented Sept. l12., 1933 'Look CLASP `'Fon JEWELS AND *ARTICLES SIMILARY ,A GerardM Desouclies, Faris, France, Vassignox to Cartier-,fvySociete Anonyme, Paris, France, a

company of France` Applicatiunixmya 1932, serial No. 608,926, 'y e andin France'May `5,* 1931 v f 7 claims) (c1. .e4-201) the other branch andby forcing it between 'said balls whichare moved'apart. and thenbroughtback into contact with each other bythe action of the spring, thuslocking the branch that carries only one ball. In that closed position,the three balls are disposed at the apexes o'atriangle, and

are nfiaintained in Contact only by the `action Vof Y the spring. .-i

The object of thepresentinvention is tov provide an improved clasp ofthat type, in which the branch that carries onlyoneballis provided witha locking device, so that said. branchoannot -be released under theaction of some shock'or stress, either `by overcomingthe-elastiolpressure that maintains it in position, or because thetension of the spring is no longer sucient, or said spring is out oforder. j

Said locking device consists of a Atail* provided under theV singleball' and which cooperates with asimple or double push piece, in suchmanner that the opening of the clasp necessitates the op# eration 'ofsaid push piece. f i y My invention also includes' the fproyisionfof aspring plate, or any other elastic organwhich is e deformed by thetailofthe single ball-when'the latter is brought into the position Vthatcloses `:the clasp;-` Said spring automatically produces vthe release ofsaid ball and the .opening of the clasp upon, or at`A least Fig.5Vvshowsgthe clasp in the closedpositionV e partly in sectionfon theline 5,-5 of Fig. 3;V v Fig-6 `is aY front view corresponding to` Fig. 5

partly in section onthe linen-,l-A-G of Fig. 5;-A Y

Fig. 7 is a bottom view. of .the clasps corresponde ing to Fig-.5?" Y eFig. 8 -is afront View corresponding to- Fig. 1 and showing, in adiagiamrnatical mannenthe mounting or" the movable balls. f e Fig. 9shows the'pushpieces of Fig. 3 in detail. As shown in the drawing,the-clasp,fwhich is supposedinrthe example to be fitted to the ends of abracelet a, comprises, in the known manner,

on the one hand a branch b1, carrying at'one end a ball c1 and pivotallymounted at the other end d ontheiastener'e through which said branchblis fixed to one endeof the bracelet. The other. part .of the claspconsists of a double branch b2, b3, which'oarries, through 'the mediumof a cross member two balls c2, c3 pvotally mounted at z'` Y jin saidcross member inthe known manner (Fig.

In order to preclude the inadvertent move-* S) mentor" said ballsVawayfrom each other, said balls are kept in contact with each other bythe elastic pressure exerted by a spring g acting-on parts h integralwith said balls (Fig. 8),. f

The double branch b2., b3 is mounted on afastener k iixed `to the otherend ci bracelet a in any suitable manner. f

A tail Z provided with two opposite notches m,

kis iixed to orsoldered toor integral with the under face of, stationaryball c1, as shown in Fig, 2,-.said tail is adapted to engage a hole nprovided in a cup shaped piece o xed to the fastener lc. Said cup-shapedpiece 0 is adapted to receive the base p oiball c1. The cup-shapedpieceo is provided with a longitudinal slot oin which branch b1. engages.Under said cup-shaped piece, there is provided,l in fastener k, a doublepush piece q1,if12. the outer ends of which project laterally from thesides ofthe fastener lc, while the inner ends 11, T2 thereofproject-under hole n, as .shown inFigs. 3 and 9. Under cup-shaped' pieceo, there is `also provided inrfatener lc springs t1, t2 adapted tocooperate with saidk push piece. Under these conditions, when the claspis to be closed',ybranch b1, together .with itsV ball o1, is broughtover the two balls c3, c3, in the direction of arrow F, (Figs. l and 2)and said branch forced down between said balls, .so as to vniove them;apart, which is possibledue to their elastic mounting. .When balls`02,123 come back to their initial position, Vbranch'b1 is keptenclosedbe-v tween them, as shown` in dotted lines in Fig-,8. Moreover,the `tail l of ball c1 has'thus beenren gaged into hole 1LY (Fig. :3) soas to interlock with pushpiecesql, q?v the ends r1, 12fof whichpenetrate into vthezlateral notches 'in ofV said tail, Thus, ,ball c1vis now locked in position and the clasp cannot open by itseli. v

Under tail Zvis disposed a spring plate ors'tripu, the ends of which arefreely engaged in two housev ings U1(Fig. .7) provided in fastener `sothat sov when tail Z is forced into `theclosed'position vits in adirection opposite to that of arrow F, so

as to open the clasp. Y

I can, of course, by giving spring u or any other similar elastic organa suitable tension, I,

obtain, if desired, the automatic opening of the clasp, that is theremoval of'branch b1 from between balls c2 and c3 by merely depressingpushpieces q1, q2, the opening being then by the action of spring u. Y AY Obviously the balls have been shown in the preceding embodiment as amere example of the ornamental mei Abers that serve to hold the branchesof the clasp together. Other elements could be used for that purposesuch as precious stones.

While I have disclosed what deem to be a preferred embodiment of myinvention, it should be well understood that Ide not wish to be limitedthereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, dispositionand form of the parts without departing Vfrom the principleof myinvention as comprehended within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A clasp of the type described, which comprises in combination, abranch for said clasp, twoV ornamental members elastically mounted onsaid branch so that `they are normally in con,- tact with each other butcanbe forced apart, another branch for said clasp, an ornamental memberrigidly secured to the last mentioned branch so that the last mentionedornamental member can be brought into contact with the two firstmentioned ornamental `members by forcing the second mentioned branchbetween the two first mentioned ornamental members, and locking meansfor fixing the last mentioned ornamental member to the first mentionedbranch.

2. A clasp of the type described, which comprises in combination, abranch for said clasp, two balls elastically mounted on said branch sothat they are normally in contact withy each other but can be forcedapart, another branch for said clasp, a ball rigidly securedto the lastmentioned branch, so that the last mentioned ball can be brought intocontactwith thetwo yfirst mentioned ones by forcing the second mentionedbranch between the two first mentioned balls, and locking means forfixing the last mentioned ball to the first mentioned branch when theparts are so engaged.

3. A clasp of the type described, which comprises in combination, aybranch rfor said clasp, two balls elastically mounted on said branch sothat they are normally in contact with each other but can be forcedapart, a cup shaped piece secured to said branch and provided with ahole, at least one push piece elastically mounted under said cup-shapedpiece so that its inner end normally projects into said hole, but can bewithdrawn therefrom, another branch for said clasp, a ball rigidlysecured to the last mentioned branch, so that the last mentioned ballcan be placed in contact with the two rst mentioned ones by forcing thesecond mentioned branch between the two first mentioned balls, and atail on the under face of the last mentioned ball adapted to engage intosaid hole, said tail being provided with at least one notch adapted toreceive the edge of said push piecer that projects into said hole.

4. A clasp of the type described, which comcompleted prises incombination, a branch for said clasp, a fastener for said branch, twoballs elastically pivoted on said branch so that they are normally'incontact with each other but can be forced apart, a cup-shaped piecefixed to said fastener, said piece being provided with a hole and with aslot, two slidable push pieces elastically mounted in said fastenerunder said cup-shaped piece on either side'of said hole so that theirinner edges the end of the last mentioned branch, the inner face of thelast mentioned ball being adapted to fit in said cup-shaped piece, whilethe last mentioned branch is adapted to it in the slot provided in saidpiece, and a tail on the'under face yof the last mentioned ball adaptedto engage into the hole provided in said cup-shaped piece, said tailbeing provided with two notches adapted to cooperate with the edges ofsaid push pieces respectively for locking the parts in position.

5. A clasp according to claime further comprisinga spring plate mountedin the first nientioned fastener under said hole so as to be broughtinto Contact with said tail when the clasp is being closed, whereby saidtail is subjected to an elastic pressure tending to push it outside fromsaid hole.

6. A clasp of the type described, which comprises in combination, abranch for said clasp, two ornamental members mounted on said branch sothat they can move with respect to each other, another branch for saidclasp, an ornamental member rigidly secured to the last mentionedbranch, elastic means onv the first mentioned branch for normallymaintaining the two first mentioned ornamental members in contact witheach other, means for limiting the displacement of said two firstmentioned ornamental members away from each other so that the secondmentioned branch cansbe forced between them but the third mentioned.ornamental member cannot be forced past them, and locking means forfixing the third ornamental member to the first mentioned branch,whereby the third mentioned ornamental member can be brought intocontact with the two first mentioned ornamental members by forcing thesecond branch between the two first ornamental members, and the partslocked-in that position. Y

7. A clasp of the typedescribed, which comprises in combination, abranch for said clasp,

cannot be forced past them, and locking means for fixing the thirdmentioned ball to the first mentioned branch, whereby the thir mentionedball can be brought into contact with the two first mentioned ballsy byforcing the second branch between the twofiirs't mentioned'balls, andtheparts locked in position.

' `r GERARD DESOUCHES.

`so that the second mentioned branch can beV forced between them but thethird mentioned ball

